Former Manchester United youngster Michael Keane could follow in Paul Pogba's footsteps

Manchester United have been expected to spend big in the summer, regardless of how their season winds up. Jose Mourinho will pit his side against six of the top eight teams including a visit from Chelsea ahead of trips to Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham. Manchester Evening News reports the club is close to completing a deal to bring Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann to Old Trafford this summer. Griezmann has scored 71 goals and provided 16 assists in all competitions since 2014, establishing himself as one of the deadliest forwards in Europe.

Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email He is proving there is life after Wayne Rooney as the new jewel in England ’s crown. But Adam Lallana believes the nation needs to be patient with deadly Dele Alli . The excitement is building around a creative talent already established as one of the finest young players in Europe. England team-mate Lallana, however, believes the nation needs to give Alli the time and space to fulfil his potential. “Dele is still growing up and learning the game, which is why he does the odd silly thing.

Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Xabi Alonso has described Liverpool as the best team in England after his five-year stint at Anfield. The Liverpool Echo's James Pearce spoke to Alonso in Bavaria earlier this week. Xabi Alonso strolls in, his sense of timing as impeccable as the weight on one of his passes. “Liverpool is still a big part of my life and always will be,” Alonso told the ECHO. “For me, I’ve played for the best team in England, the best team in Spain and the best team in Germany.

[And] you can’t always predict when the end is coming for people.” But Southgate was firmly looking ahead, not back. There wasn’t the faintest flicker of a response when it was put to him that Wayne Rooney deserved a send-off like Podolski. 10/22 Lukas Podolski – 6 out of 10 The equivalent of a testimonial for the veteran and you could tell from his first-half performance. Arsenal supporters will wonder how on earth the Podolski they knew could end up departing the international stage a hero like this. That will be the Rooney who could not find the time, in a two-week international break, to attend the new England manager’s introductory team talk on Monday.

Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email When it comes to free-kicks David Luiz is one of the best in the business. Simon Mignolet learned that the hard way when the Brazilian smashed a long-range shot past him in Chelsea's Premier League clash with Liverpool in January. The Blues defender was recently at the club's Cobham training ground perfecting his set-pieces when he hit an absolute screamer. The former Chelsea midfielder posted a cheeky message to his former Blues teammate suggesting not everything was as it seems.